


He's Just A Gem In The Rough

by iwasnthere622



Series: Wolves vs Berserkers [2]
Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Gangs, Guns, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Theft, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:07:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8741791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasnthere622/pseuds/iwasnthere622
Summary: "This the right window?" Zack asked softly, crouching when Cloud nodded and taking out his pocket knife to jimmy the window open.He held the window open for Cloud to climb in, quick to follow and shut it behind himself. The pair of thieves spread out, checking the suite to ensure they were alone.





	

Cloud stared out into the entrance to the alley, watching for guards as Zack quickly and easily scaled the side of the hotel building, the old bricks providing plenty of handholds if you knew what you were doing.

The thief jumped onto the secured fire escape -- 30 feet up -- and released the ladder, lowering it until Cloud could reach it and ease it to the ground as soundlessly as possible, the blonde climbing up.

Once they were both on the fire escape, Zack pulled the ladder back up, "No use leaving a good entrance for anyone else," and they started to climb, heading for the 16th floor.

"This the right window?" Zack asked softly, crouching when Cloud nodded and taking out his pocket knife to jimmy the window open.

He held the window open for Cloud to climb in, quick to follow and shut it behind himself. The pair of thieves spread out, checking the suite to ensure they were alone.

Zack turned the bedside lamp on and turned to grin at Cloud. "Let's get to work."

Cloud nodded, heading for the closet and moving clothes aside, rolling his eyes a bit at the safe just sitting there at the back, crouching to get to work.

Zack, meanwhile, move to the cabinets, quickly and efficiently taking anything of value and stuffing it into his sack, combing through each room. It took him 20 mintues, but the suite was thoroughly stripped when he rejoined Cloud in the bedroom, grinning at the blonde sweating in the closet with his ear pressed to the safe and concentration creasing his brow.

"Any luck?"

Cloud scowled, pulling back and cracking his neck. "Not yet." This brand of safe was said to have been uncrackable, back before the war. It was damn near impossible to find now, most of them blown to smithereens when the major cities were bombed, the rich mansions the biggest targets.

But Zack claimed Cloud had magic fingers and he was determined to crack this.

Zack glanced at his watch and settled at the window to keep watch and wait.

Cloud counted to ten, slowing his breathing and pressing back to the metal, closing his eyes and visualizing the tumblers and pins, slowing clicking the turn knob each digit and listening to the corresponding click, making a mental map.

It was slow going, the dial going as high as 100, and Cloud had to click through each one and remember the position the click shifted the lock into, trying to visualize which combination would lift the pins.

Nearly one hour since they broke in, he was pretty sure the combination started with 32 to the left.

"Been an hour, Blondy," Zack said softly, eyes glancing to his friend practically hugging the safe.

"Got one," Cloud grunted back.

Zack grinned. "That's great!"

Cloud smiled a bit, shifting and wincing at stiff muscles, pushing to a slow stand and stretching out. "All quiet?"

"As a church mouse," Zack chuckled. "Is Yuna going to have to bend you back into shape after this?"

Cloud made a face. "No! Don't you dare say a word, either." Their medic was a little... over-enthusiastic at helping the team.

Zack laughed. "Better get back to it, then!"

Cloud sighed but nodded, sitting back down and rolling his head once more before letting out a long breath and getting back to work. It took another agaonizing twenty minutes before he had the second of the lock's pins unlocked -- 54 to the right.

He pushed to a stand again, feeling restless and frustrated at his pace.

"Hey, take watch while I take a piss," Zack said, moving away from the window.

Cloud rolled his eyes even as he brushed past Zack to the window, eyes scanning out into the night. He tuned out Zack taking care of business, looking at the desolate street, the fire escape, the road... Empty and broken, just like everything else in this crap world.

"Clear?"

Cloud startled at Zack's voice, glaring at him for sneaking up on him.

"All quiet," Cloud answered, reluctantly moving back towards the safe.

Zack chuckled, shaking his head. "Told you you gotta listen better. But I guess you can relax for now since I'm here to cover both our asses while you work your magic."

Cloud snorted. "It's not magic, it's probability."

"You've been hanging out with Roxy again, haven't you?" Zack teased.

Cloud flushed, sitting back at the safe. "Shut up."

Zack laughed. "Well don't just trade your secrets for nothing! Make sure our Rox shows you some tricks in turn."

"Yeah, yeah. Digital locks are still pickable, you know."

"Yeah, as long as _you_ know how."

"Rox does."

"And he's showing you?"

"Well..."

Zack sighed. "Cloud..."

Cloud flushed. "He will! He said I have to be a master lockpick first, though."

"Well, I guess you are cracking the uncrackable right now. That oughtta be enough."

"You think?" Cloud asked hopefully. He still ached to prove himself after his debacle a few weeks ago, getting caught in the Berserker lair and only leaving with his life thanks to Squall Leonhart, of all people. Not that he'd mentioned that little tidbit to anyone.

"Yeh. I'll tell him how impressive you were, hugging the safe until it gave up," Zack grinned, tone teasing.

"I hate you," Cloud grumbled, getting back to work.

"Love ya too, Blondy," Zack murmured, eyes going back to scanning the outside world.

The room slipped back into silence, the only noise their careful breathing and the steady click click click of Cloud turning through the tumblers. He was so close, come on...

Snick.

Holding his breath, Cloud pulled back from the safe, fingers shaking as he turned the handle slowly and... it opened.

It opened.

"Zack!" he said breathlessly, shoving to his feet with a laugh.

"Holy shit, you actually did it!" Zack grinned, moving to Cloud and swinging him in the air in a quick turn, identical grins on their faces. "I told you you were magic."

Cloud blushed, shrugging out of Zack's hold but damn, he was proud of himself. He did it. _He did it_.

"Get the loot, c'mon!" Zack said, excited to get back to headquarters and brag about his protégée, moving to grab his bags of the rest of the good stuff in this suite.

Cloud nodded, pulling out his own bag from his back pocket and crouching to swipe the safe's contents into the bag, marvelling at the gems sparkling up at him.

He was so mesmerized and floating on the high of his accomplishment that he almost missed the sound of a car pulling up, turning to glance at Zack who was now frozen at the window, peering out cautiously.

"Shit! Berserkers!" Zack cursed, watching two guys and a girl get out of the car and head for the front door.

Cloud fumbled his hold on his bag before hurriedly sliding the rest of the gems into a jumbled mess into his bag, twisting and tying off the top tight.

"Fire escape, c'mon, hurry!" Zack urged, shutting the light and the safe and following Cloud out the window, making sure to shut that, too. He followed the blonde down the escape steps, slamming the blonde into the side of the building just as another Berserker who must have been watching the car walked into the alley looking around, having clearly heard them.

Zack jerked a finger up and waited for Cloud to nod before carefully turning around and silently moving back up the steps.

Cloud moved as fast as he could while also being quiet, hardly daring to breath, knuckles white on his grip on his bag, his usual awe at Zack's grace muted with hot stabbing fear.

If he got caught _again_ , Tifa would kick him out of the gang for sure...

They climbed back up, just reaching the 16th story and the window of the room they'd fled, when the escape was suddenly flooded with light as the window was thrown open, the other Berserkers that Zack must have spotted staring at them. Everyone was frozen in place for a second before Zack was shoving Cloud.

"Run!" he yelled, thundering down the stairs right behind him.

Cloud didn't need to be told twice, hurrying down the stairs, half-turning when the fire escape shook and seeing Zack hitting one of the them hard in the head with his bag of loot, the bag ripping and raining goodies down into the alley.

"Go, go!" Zack urged, having bought them precious seconds, chucking loot from his other bag behind him as he followed Cloud, thankful he was proving enough of a distraction to prevent--

BANG.

"Fuck!" Zack yelled, jerking as a bullet grazed his shoulder, Cloud shouting and ducking as brick debris sprayed him from the bullet logding into the building.

They were still too high up, five stories, and the one in the alley was fucking _shooting_ at them!

Another bullet and then another flew, the shots ringing into the air. Cloud somehow managed to not get hit as he stumbled down the steps, hearing Zack cursing behind him.

"Xig you fucking nut, stop shooting! That one nearly got me!" Sora snarled as he chased the Wolves.

"Then get outta the way, pretty boy!" Xigbar yelled back, shooting once more to make a point before reluctantly pocketing his gun.

Cloud chanced a glance behind them, seeing only one Berserker follwoing them -- Zack must've gotten the other one good enough to make him and third stay behind.

Two against two, maybe, if they were quick...

Xigbar grinned as they got closer, braced at the end of the escape. "No where to go, Wolves. Just give us what you found and we might let you live!"

"I already gave it all to your friend upstairs, why not go help him?" Zack taunted, but he was desperately looking around for a way to get Cloud outta this.

Xigbar just cursed and sneered up at them.

"You'll pay for that!" Sora promised, herding them down the stairs.

Zack twisted, swinging his now-empty bag into the shins of the guy chasing them, reaching to yank Cloud by his shirt collar when the falling Berkserker tried to grab him to take him with him.

Cloud yelped and fell to his knees hard, pain jamming up his spine, Zack tumbling past him.

"Zack!" he yelled, trying to steady him, but he only had one hand and all he did was rip Zack's shirt down the side.

"Shit!" Xigbar cursed, trying to catch Sora but of course he ended up on his ass on the pavement.

Zack landed with a little more grace, on his feet like a cat. "Cloud, jump!" he yelled urgently, seeing this as their chance.

Cloud forced himself up, leaping down the two stories, luckily or unluckily slamming into the Berkserers and sending them all to the ground again.

Arms tugged him up and he let Zack right him and pull his arm as they took off down the street, fingers white from his grip on the bag of gems from the safe.

They made it a few feet before the Berkserkers were following them, the sounds of their curses and footfalls loud in the darkness, Zack twisting them down an alley just as bullets started to fly once more.

Zack pushed him to go faster and Cloud did his best to keep up, scrambling up the fence at the end of the alley and landing heavily, wobbling and hurrying after Zack.

They heard a car start up and the curses of the Berserkers, and after another five minutes of solid sprinting, Zack pulled them to duck into an abadoned shop's doorstep.

Cloud clutched his aching knees, double over and panting harshly.

"Well that was exciting!" Zack grinned, clapping him on the back. "All right?"

Cloud huffed out a laugh as his lungs fought to do this braething thing normally, straightening to study Zack. "Yeah. Sorry... about your... shirt."

Zack rolled his eyes. "I'll just steal one of yours," he answered easily.

Cloud smiled, breathing slowing now as his heart got back under control, aching but in one piece. "You're bleeding!" he said, fingers reaching for the patch of red on Zack's shoulder.

"Graze, I'm fine," Zack said with a shrug.

"Lemme see," Cloud insisted, pushing closer to take a look, but it really was just a simple graze, no gaping hole.

"M'fine, nurse Blondy," Zack teased, ruffling his hair. "C'mon."

Cloud ducked and scowled, but he followed Zack as they started the walk back to base, switching hands on the bag and flexing aching fingers.

"Still got the goods?" Zack asked, glancing at the bag.

"Yup," Cloud grinned.

The pair shared a smile, taking a turn and walking in the shadows for a few minutes before they were suddenly ducking as shots rang out.

"There! It's them!" Xigbar yelled, hanging half out his car, gun in the air.

"Go!" Zack yelled, and they started running again, only to skid and take a sharp right as another car cut them off, the other Berkserers from the hotel at the wheel.

"Split up," Zack decided, as it made them easier to spot when together. "Get back in one piece, take the green route!"

"You too!" Cloud said, gut twisting with anxiety as they split apart at the next fork, Cloud ducking into the undergrowth edging the city and jumping down a rumbling overpass, running the tunnels to the base.

He ran for about a mile before he felt safe enough to slow to a walk, thinking he'd lost them for good and hoping Zack was doing all right, chancing the stairs back up to the main level to re-orient himself, as it'd been a while since he went this route.

"Caused quite a stir, didn't you," Leon asked mildly, leaning against the broken lightpost when Cloud emerged.

Cloud jumped, body tensing. "You."

"Me," Leon agreed easily enough.

Cloud glared at him, walking past boldy and managing not to flinch when Squall just fell into step with him.

"How'd you find me?" he eventually asked, when it seemed Squall was content to take a stroll with him.

"Figured you'd go underground, since that other one favors the heights," Leon shrugged. "This is the closest out at the border."

"Hmph," Cloud grumbled, impressed and terrified and forcing himself not to stare at Squall's lips or remember their kiss.

"Get anything good?" Leon eventually asked.

"Maybe," Cloud evaded, eyeing him and ready to bolt in an instant.

"Easy, Cub, you can keep your loot that you fought so hard for," Leon teased with a grin.

"I'm not a Cub!" Cloud snapped, annoyed, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

Leon snorted.

"I'm a Wolf," Cloud said stubbornly, but his tone was resigned.

"Why?" Leon asked.

Cloud stumbled a bit, glancing at Leon. "What?"

"Why?" Leon repeated. "Why are you a Wolf?"

"Because?" Cloud answered, bewildered. "Have you looked around lately? What other choice is there?"

"Hey, there's some civilians, yet. Greener places."

"What about you, then?" Cloud countered, not answering the question.

Leon shrugged. "M'good at this."

"You're a murderer," Cloud said, swallowing as he forced himself to remember that, just because Squall protected him once before didn't mean he wouldn't kill him now.

"Yeah. I am," Leon agreed, eyes hardening. "But you? You're no thief."

"What?!" Cloud demanded, angry, stopping in his tracks.

Leon studied him, looking him up and down. "You're good at it, sure. Got the fingers, the brain. But you've got something dark twisted up in you, too, something that'd be more brutal if let out."

"I'm _nothing_ like you," Cloud spat, glaring.

Leon just shrugged, hands interlaced behind his hand, posture casual but eyes still hard. "You and I? We're the same."

Cloud was not like him, he wasn't a murderer, he wasn't... "Fuck you, Squall" he growled, moving to shove past him.

Leon twisted, arm snapping out and catching Cloud at the shoulders, elbow at his throat, shoving him back into the side of a nearby builing hard.

Cloud choked on air, knocking his head into the bricks as he was slamming, bag dropping to the ground as his hands jumped to the arm at his throat.

Glittering gemstones scattered along the cracked pavement in a cascade of sound, harsh plinks and glints of moonlight as they rolled and scratched and pooled around their feet.

Leon dug his elbow into Cloud's throat, forcing him to tip his head up, watching him sputter and choke for a moment more, allowing him to claw at his arm and grinning when he tried punching him in the face when that didn't work.

He dropped his arm in one sudden movement and just as Cloud gulped in air slammed their mouths together, teeth knocking.

Cloud's head jerked back into the building a second time as Squall kissed him, pressing so close and moving aggressively like he was trying to consume him.

He tasted blood and knew he'd cut his lip on Squall's piercings again, the blood only seeming to spur Squall on, who had a hand gripping his hair now, holding his head in place.

Cloud clutched at Squall 's shoulders, moaning when Squall gave his hair a tug and pressed closer, head spinning from lack of oxygen, tasting his own blood mixed with Squall 's when he nipped a piercing too-hard and split the flesh.

They kissed until Cloud was sure he'd pass out for want of breath, Squall finally allowing the kiss to break and staring at Cloud as they panted in each other's faces.

Leon ran a tongue over his split lip, tonging his piercing with a smirk when he watched Cloud's eyes drop to watch the motion, the blonde swallowing hard as he panted and regained his breath.

"I'm nothing like you," Cloud repeated with a whisper.

Leon's smirk widened but he said nothing, moving in for a soft, barely-there kiss, ghosting his lips over Cloud's before releasing him and stepping back, boots crunching on spilled gems.

"Maybe you are a great thief after all," he said, staring down at the gems.

"Shit," Cloud cursed, having forgotten about them, dropping to his knees to try to scoop them back into the bag.

Leon watched Cloud's frantic movement but made no move to help, instead stepping out of range and releasing those gems he'd been accidently standing on, watching the kid on his knees and wishing for a bottle of whiskey, wanting to wash away the taste of blood, or maybe pour the whiskey into Cloud's mouth first and drink it from there...

Cloud's bruised knees ached but he focused on getting all the gems into the bag, hoping the spill hadn't damaged them -- they seemed okay... He scanned the area, crawling after the few that'd bounced farthest away before re-tying the bag and standing carefully.

"Nice tat on your back," Leon commented.

Cloud huffed, tugging at his shirt.

"You have a wolf, too?" Leon asked, wondering if the cub had a cub on him or if he preferred the geometric images like he had on his back.

"Yeah," Cloud answered, eyeing Squall. "You have...?"

Leon debated before lifting his shirt up, exposing his side and one nipple to the cool air. The bud was pierced, a barbell through it, and his entire side curling into his back was covered in tatoos. "Berserker warrior," he nodded, pointing at the bear-man figure on his side, holding a spear and covered in blood.

Cloud stared at Squall's chest, eyes tracing each line drawn into his skin, each puckered scar or dip or gauge... He nodded at the Berserker figure, mildly disappointed when Squall let his shirt drop again.

It was silent between them and Cloud started to feel a little awkward, wondering if Zack had made it back yet, if he was okay, if anyone was worrying about him yet.

They both turned towards the street at the sound of a car passing by, the lights flashing in the dark before fading and disappearing.

"Best get back to your den, Cub," Leon smirked.

"It's _Cloud_ , asshole," Cloud snarked, grip tightening on his loot bag, still half-expecting Squall to demand it or take it but he genuinely seemed to just... not even care. He hadn't even grabbed any gems when they spilled out!

Leon's grin widened, taking a step forward and crunching down on a stone, glancing down at a black gem.

"...Keep it, for passage," Cloud said, taking a step back, not wanting to get drawn in again.

Leon raised an eyebrow but nodded, supposing that was fair enough. "...Leon," he called, once Cloud was a few feet away.

"What?" Cloud asked, confused, pausing.

"What you can call me," Leon answered, crouching to pick up the gem, smirking at Cloud before turning to walk away.

"Oh," Cloud said softly, a little dazed, not quite knowing how to process that. "...Leon."

Leon paused, half-turning.

"Thanks," Cloud said, nodding.

Leon just nodded back and they turned to go their separate ways, Cloud walking back home, head buzzing from the night he'd had.

Leon slipped his hands behind his head as he strolled, moving to the main street to eventually flag down a ride, staring up at the night sky, a few stars valliantly trying to pierce the darkness, the moon's light the only consistent light breaking through.

He caught the next patrol car and slipped his hand into his pocket, fingering the gemstone during the ride as he thought about what to do with it...


End file.
